Doctors examine heart sounds of a patient's heart to diagnose heart dysfunctions. Among other sources, the opening and closing of the heart valves cause the heart sounds. The human heart sounds comprise a first major sound (“S1”), a second major sound (“S2”), a noise sound component, low frequency sounds, and/or an abnormal sound. For example, the first major sound comprises a mitral valve sound and a tricuspid valve sound. Further, the second major sound comprises an aortic valve sound and a pulmonary valve sound.
In some examinations, doctors employ acoustic stethoscopes to listen to the heart sounds, for example, acoustic heart sounds. To learn how to use the acoustic stethoscopes, doctors undergo extensive training. As one shortcoming, doctors require extensive training with acoustic stethoscopes to diagnose heart dysfunctions. As another shortcoming, acoustic stethoscopes allow doctors to discern only between the first major sound and the second major sound. For example, acoustic stethoscopes cannot detect individual valve dysfunctions.
In other examinations, doctors employ electronic stethoscopes to listen to the heart sounds. The electronic stethoscopes convert the acoustic heart sounds into electrical heart sounds. Upon conversion to the electrical heart sounds, the electronic stethoscopes can filter and amplify the electrical heart sounds. For example, the electronic stethoscopes output frequency and amplitude modified heart sound information. To diagnose general heart dysfunctions, a doctor can employ the electronic stethoscope to listen to the frequency and amplitude modified heart sound information. However, the electronic stethoscope cannot identify a source of a heart dysfunction. As one shortcoming, the doctors are unable to diagnose the sources of heart dysfunctions with the electronic stethoscope. For example, the electronic stethoscope cannot separate the composite heart sound into sounds from discrete sources of the heart.
Thus, a need exists for a capability to identify one or more sources of one or more heart functions and/or dysfunctions.